1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope for performing endoscope inspection etc. by being inserted into a body cavity or the interior of various equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, endoscopes have been widely adopted for optical inspection and diagnosis in medical and industrial fields.
In order to realize portability, there has been proposed an endoscope in which a battery is provided in the endoscope body. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-83433 discloses an endoscope in which a light source unit incorporating a rechargeable battery is detachably provided in the operation portion of the endoscope body. In the prior art example according to the above publication, there is provided a battery for generating electric power to operate illumination means.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-295635 discloses an electronic endoscope having a near contact-less structure and exemplarily incorporating a battery. Moreover, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-295635 describes a structure exemplarily incorporating a battery.